French Quarter On Thursday Night

Hey guys, it’s been pretty busy the past few days, but I want to bring this important issue to your attention. People, the French Quarter on Thursday night was dead. My husband, his business associate, my daughter, and myself went down to the French Quarter. Yes that’s right, I took my 3-year old daughter with us to go eat since I had no babysitter for the evening, so her and Baby Elmo partied like no others down on Bourbon Street. Anyway, while we were down there, we of course walked around with some drinks in hand and checked out the local shops. It’s very sad since many were closed.

Even my personal favorite, The Panda Bear, where I always purchased my leather goods, handcuffs, lubes, latex body paint, and vaginal jewelry, is closed too. We did go into a tourist shop across from The Gumbo Shop on South Peters that had some incredible deals like N.O. polo shirts for only $9.99 and t-shirts for $3.99, so we replaced some of our weekend t-shirts that got wiped out by Katrina. We even picked up beautiful Mardi Gras feathered masks for only $3.00 and pot holders for $2.50. You could tell that things have been slow around there, especially when we went to dinner.
We stopped in at Ralph & Kacoos since my daughter loves their hushpuppies and I knew she’d eat the fried shrimp and french fries. Of course in a scary sense, we were immediately seated in the Mardi Gras room, and there was hardly anyone in the place. You could tell once again that they were hurting. We started with the boiled crawfish as an appetizer and then did the shrimp platter for dinner. The food was simply incredible and the crawfish was perfectly seasoned. It was a really great seafood feast, and yet there was hardly anyone in the place. I’m telling you all this since I’m more concerned than ever about our New Orleans businesses down there making it throughout the summer.

Katrina hit these places hard, and without all the relief workers down here, you can see that the belts are tightening on these businesses and they are struggling to survive. Please take time out to support these locals and even take the family down to the French Quarter and buy local. The scary part is if you don’t, then who will? The tourist industry down here is still dead and summer was hard on these places already, but now it’ll be devestating. Instead of staying in Metairie, Kenner, or the Northshore, please make an effort to support these guys and enjoy the things that we almost lost. We don’t want to look like every other city, and without the French Quarter and live music, we would. Please try to go down there over the next few weekends.

32 Comments so far

I’m still getting over my Mardi Gras trip home and being asked by the greeter at Acme, “where do you want to sit?” Locals should take advantage of the thin crowds to patronize their own favorite Quarter haunts without fear of tourists, etc., or signature local places are liable to all be repaced by Red Lobster when the tourists do return, as they inevitably will.

What the hell kind of a New Orleanian are you that you don’t realize that the tourism industry isn’t what it used to be? Do you ever leave the suburbs? Next you should tell us that we should all be aware that the 9th ward is still totally f-ed.

For those of us who walk the streets of the Quarter on a daily basis, this is no shocker.

Yeah, my friends who are waiters and bartenders are definitely hurting. And I feel guilty when they buy me dinner or give me a ride somewhere.

But, you know what, c’est la vie in the Quarter almost every summer after Fest. Why don’t you print off your post and stick a copy in each of your neighbors’ mailboxes so that they help rejuvenate the place?

For the brain that questions myself as a New Orleanian…This blog was to stir things up and let the people that don’t leave the suburbs realize that there is a desperate need to support the city now more than ever. I go down in the city as much as I can and support the local businesses there rather than in the suburbs right now. I was trying to bring out the fact that there are NO tourists right now and natives need to support the city if we want our city to be unique and not full of a bunch of chain retailers. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to see a big Walmart and Decatur…Do we understand where I’m coming from now? Oh, and not all of us are a bunch of prudes, vaginal and nipple jewelry is quite cool, and I’ve always gotten compliments…Anyway the more diamonds and bling bling on your body, the better! Some put it in their teeth or finger nails, I just put it in more erotic locations.

People, I am merely stating a fact…Instead of wandering around in the sex shops in the Quarter, purchase the goods from them. Every single one of you (Jack) are guilty for looking and then going back to your burb home and secretly ordering those anal beads on the internet..lol And no I’m not offended by any jewelry comment, I was simply pissed at someone not thinking I’m New Orleanian enough..As if I don’t know we don’t have tourist down here, duh? Why else would I be blogging trying to get some support for the Quarter folks. Unlike some people on this site, My head isn’t up my ass, but I do have jewelry for that part of my body too..lol

hey Sheri dawlin’ — i hear ya’ — we were just having fun. I love NOLA more than life. I grew up on Bayou St. John, went to high school, UNO, and worked for Amoco Production Co, for many years. I only moved to Covington because I had to. I am in the process of buying a place in the Warehouse D. (right above Tommy’s) now. I want to be part of the process of rebuilding. Truly, when I say that I enjoy all of you, I mean it. Keep up the good work, it doesn’t go unnoticed.
But dawlin’ I dunno about the jewerly, might get in the way of my tennis game.

Let’s all give Sheri a big roung of applause for discovering, all by herself, that there is a French Quarter and for finding someone to jab a metal post through that kid-spitter-outer of hers. Patently uninteresting.

Jack, Jack, Jack…I told you to use anal lube when you want to stick that rod up your tight ass. If I’m so uninteresting then why do you continue to read and post…Don’t tell me, you want to know what I’m going to say and think up next. Actually it’s people like you that remind me why I love living in this city…The rest of us have a “fun” life and aren’t bitter towards the whole world like yourself. I’m so sorry, NOT, for my generation being expressive with their bodies. Yes I do realize it scares fuddy duddies like yourself, but no one thought that flashing for beads thing would catch on either, lol. Seriously dude, you can hate me all you want, I really don’t care since my “REAL FRIENDS” know and accept the “real” me. My voice speaks for most thirty-something’s and that’s why I’m on here. If you don’t like hearing about sex, drinking, kids, crazy friends, relationships,torn up homes,FEMA trailers, mortgages, and failing levee systems jeopardizing out property values, then go over to read the elders blog and check in at the old folks home. My life is reality and very New Orleans, but I’m sure it’s not New Orleans enough for you..lol

Excuse me, but I wasn’t told that by posting articles and joining this group I would get personal threats by people(Jack)accusing me of not writing my own stuff. Hope you enjoy your next victem…I’m out of this boxing ring of garbage!

RG – not to single you out, but Sheri never said vaginal peircings were “all about N.O.” The only place that phrase appears is in your post. So, watch what you put quotes around. ;-)

That said, I have to respectfully disagree with you oh on about all of it, especially your criticisms of her parenting. What I got from her posts and comments is that the freedom to make her choices, openly, are part of the culutre of N.O. – a tolerance of otherness that is not rivaled anywhere in the South, if not anywhere short of Amsterdam. I think you, and others, have read too much into the Bourbon Street reference. They went to some shops and to eat. She didn’t say she stayed out until 3 am, dragging the kid from bar to bar and then drove home drunk off her ass. They got some dinner and hit a few shops. How self-righteous you are in calling her out for bad parenting – for all you know – they were all snug in their beds by 7:30, not that it is really any of yours, or anyone else’s, business.

Along that line – do you consider me, a total stranger, a ‘selfish mother” because I took my 9 year-old to Beale Street last week?

What – I am? That’s mighty judgemental and sanctimonious of you considering . . . .

(Wait for it . . . . )

We went on a field trip – with his school.

I would not hesitate to take my kids to the Quarter on a week night outside of Jazzfest or Mardi Gras. It is a historical treasure and a quintecesstially American place. I would, of course, steer clear of the places of ill repute and what not, but I would definitely take them on a walking tour to see the catherdral lit from Jackson Square, to hear the muscians, see that cool magician guy if he’s still there, try to find my friend Shannon who told Tarot on the Square years ago, have their portraits made, eat some beignets, pick up some trinkets here and yon, go to that awesome toy and curio shop on Royal, grab some delectable grub before hitting the hay at a respectable hour.

The Quarter is not solely about sex and immorality, nor is N.O., despite what Falwell and Robertson say. It is about expression, and history and individuality. I think that is what Sheri was trying to say – and advocated saving.

Apologies for using the comments section to get in touch, but I couldn’t see an email address for you, so this seemed the only other way.

I’m a post-grad environmnetal research scientist based at University College London in the U.K. I’m writing my dissertation on Katrina, and specifically on how people were able to use blogs as a platorm for the production and consumption of views in its aftermath, as opposed to relying on more traditional forms of mainstream media reporting.

I’m in town for the next month doing interviews with various folk, and wondered if you’d be interested in having a chat about your blogging/Katrina experiences? If so, please get in touch on the email address below, and hopefully we can arrange something.

Post-gradutate researher
Department of Geography
University College London

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